1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit card, and more particularly to an integrated circuit card specifically for use in an electronic apparatus, such as a personal computer, a hand-held computer, and a TV game machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An integrated circuit (IC) card consists of a compact, thin, inflexible card body, which typically measures about 85.6 mm long, 54 mm wide, and 0.8-2.0 mm thick. An IC chip (integrated circuit device) having desired functions is built into such a rigid or semi-rigid card body made of plastic or reinforced cardboard, and numerous connecting terminals are arranged along an edge on the surface of the card.
On the card of this type, an IC chip is built into a card by inserting a printed circuit board having the IC chip mounted into a rectangular hollow positioned near the card edge on the surface of the card body, with the chip mounting surface opposing the hollow, and by fixing the board with adhesive. On the board are printed wire connections for connecting the circuitry in the chip with connector terminals. The terminals are printed metal terminals which are arranged in the form of a single line or row along the board edge corresponding to the card edge on the board surface opposite the IC chip mounting surface, and are connected to the corresponding printed wires via throughholes.
When the card is inserted into a card receiving slot on a piece of electronic equipment, such as a personal computer, hand-held computer, or TV game machine, wtth the card edge having the terminals in the direction of insertion, the terminals on the card and the corresponding terminals on the connectors of the slot into which the card is inserted come in contact with each other to conduct current therebetween. As a result, the IC chip on the card is connected to the circuitry in the electronic equipment so that information may be transferred between them.
The number of terminals arranged along the card edge on the card surface may vary depending on the functions of the circuitry built in the IC chip. When a larger number of terminals is desired, the required number of terminals has to be closely arranged by reducing the intervals between adjacent ones of the terminals, or reducing the width of the individual terminals, since the card width is virtually fixed at about 54 mm as mentioned above.
Reduction of the intervals or the width, however, may cause problems of electromagnetic interference, short-circuiting between the terminals due to minute dirt and dust, particles misalignment between the terminals on the card and the terminals on the electronic equipment due to deviation of the card insertion position, and so forth.
Therefore, the reduction of the intervals and width in order to increase the required number of terminals by closer arrangement has limits.